But now the gallery keeps telling me they want a dining table. So I want to make sure I fill that need before someone else does. And since I have sold a few things I had the cash to go on a little shopping spree at my favorite candy store _Global Wood Source

I didn’t take photos of the milling process but I spent the next couple hours there getting it custom milled and choosing lumber for the base which will be Western Maple.

I was able to get enough large book-matched pieces out of the slab for TWO dining tables. Here they are back in my little shop.

First table top:

Second table top:

Maple for the base of table one:

Claro Walnut “Leftovers”

I always prefer to start with the wood before I design anything (unless its a specific commissioned piece). So once I had my lumber, I went to work in Sketchup to make the most of it. I poured over my stash of inspirational images that I keep on my hard drive from other works and artists that I like.

Then the challenge is to make it my own. One of my favorite styles is the one pioneered by George Nakashima. So its easy to see his influence in my designs.

Here is what I came up with:

And as always, it will change and evolve as I start building but this is a starting point. What do you think?

Georgeous piece of wood you got there. Did you consider making one large dining table? A 6’0” table with such a beautiful slab of claro walnut seems too small to me. Not sure if the gallery is dictating the size or not but I would bookmatch the slab in both directions and create one large table. Also, something about the diagonal bracing seems off to me not sure I can put my finger on it but take a look at the scale. I know this is preliminary and that you will refine all the details as you go to create a beautiful piece of art/furniture/sculpture like you always do.

wow blake, you scored some fantastic walnut, having it resawn and book matched was one good call, i love the table design, if these dont sell, then there just in the wrong gallery, but i think they will sell, you just might have found a great place to start selling your work, i wishj we had that type of mentality in this area, but in the deep south, its hard to find something like that in this area…feel blessed…grizz

What a masterpiece these tables are going to be!!!! Beautiful design and absolutely choice selection for the table top. Now Blake, I don’t want you cluttering up your workshop with the “leftovers” that you have so let me know, and I will come on down and get them out of your way !!! Aren’t I a nice guy? !!!

Good to see you are still lurking! Its true, my drawings are always “working” designs. Your comment is kind of ironic: ”something about the diagonal bracing seems off to me” …since that was inspired partially from your table! (and I know that you know I don’t mind the criticism at all).

But sometimes I take design elements that I like from various other designs and try to marry them in a way to make it my own (I mean, lets be very realistic, there are very few people in this world with 100% completely new ideas and I don’t pretend to be one of them, at least not on every piece of furniture I build).

Anyway, combining styles doesn’t always work. So I appreciate the food for thought and the fact that someone on this website doesn’t mind starting a real design conversation.

You might be right though. The basis for the design starts from the classic Nakashima style but the diagonals make it look a little Eastern European. Maybe thats the problem now that I think about it? Let me know when you can “put a finger on it.”

When I’m in sketchup I am really just “playing.” I can build a piece of furniture in a few minutes, deconstruct it and start over or change it over and over again. I arrived at this after an hour or two and it looked interesting, substantial, different. My wife’s reaction always has a huge influence on whether I keep a design or not (she’s an artist too) and she really liked this design so it ended up here for public scrutiny.

As for the extra long table, (1) the gallery is very small, (2) I think the price range would be too steep for the venue if it were twice as big and (3) this way I get to build TWO tables which would be more profitable and more fun anyway.

Makes sense regarding the two smallers table vs one big one. I think I realized what was bothering me about the diagonals. it is not that you have them (I like your inspiration:-)but rather it is the shape/size that I find is conflicting with the rest of the base. The diagonals are very flat/thin vs. the rest of the base. What if they were the same thickness and width as the two horizontal stretchers? Also, if you invert the diagonals you have a “W” for Weber instead of a “M”.

If the table was destined for my own house I might go with the “W” idea. But for this table I like the tension it creates when its upside down.

As for the proportions, I send the design to the gallery owner to see what she thinks and she really liked it but thought the base was too heavy looking and was wondering if I could make it lighter. I actually agree. That might take care of the shape/size conflict that you were feeling too.